Chapter 686
It had all pooled deep within his neural pathways.
This hidden residue wouldn’t kill him instantly.
But it would continuously wear down his central nervous system’s tolerance, eroding his neural functions bit by bit.
It was harmless in the short term, but once it compounded p>
At best, it would cause chronic neurasthenia. At worst, permanent nerve damage.
Silas saw the shift in her eyes and asked, his voice shaking with uncertainty.
“I didn’t… feel any uncontrollable urges. It should be… a success… right p>
“It was a success,” Sienna said slowly, her voice chillingly calm. “But the hidden dangers are just as real p>
“The first-stage antidote can suppress the violent surface symptoms, but it can’t clear out the compounded residual poison pooling deep inside you p>
Sienna traced the root of the problem in her mind from beginning to end.
She finally spotted the flaw.
The sample she used to synthesize the simulated toxin was the metabolized residue from Maloney’s body—it wasn’t complete.
The original toxin definitively contained a critical, hidden component.
But it had been artificially masked, or lost during metabolism.
It was the absence of this single component that made her simulated toxin incomplete.
And it was what gave the antidote a fatal blind spot in its compatibility.
At that moment, Sienna became even more certain.
Maloney’s poisoning was no accident. The culprit definitely wanted something from Maloney, or from somewhere else.
If they were after the Sterlings’ power, or Maloney’s fortune.
Then now was the perfect time to strike.
The enemy should be doing everything in their power to stop her from developing the cure.
So why was everything going so smoothly?
If it wasn’t about money or power, what was it about?
The thoughts raced through her mind in a flash.
Sienna looked up at Silas, who was still stable and utterly fearless, her voice grave.
“Listen to me, Silas. We have the right direction for the trials, but the risks are going to escalate.
With every subsequent increase in dosage, that residual poison will stack and compound.
If we keep going, you won’t instantly lose your mind, but you will suffer permanent, irreversible nerve damage
That’s a price you might not be able to pay.
It’s not too late to stop. You can walk away right now p>
Silas listened quietly, without a trace of hesitation, his eyes as open and unwavering as before.
He even smiled faintly and shook his head.
“How can I stop when we’ve already made it this far? Even if you wash your hands of me the poison is already in my system
Instead of figuring out how to clear it out of me, you’re trying to get me to quit.
What kind of irresponsible doctor are you p>
Though his tone was light and he wore his usual insufferable smirk.
None of the three women watching could laugh.
Luna swallowed hard, her heart swelling with admiration.
Thea nodded silently, visibly moved.
They finally saw the truth: Silas’s persistence had never been blind recklessness.
Sienna looked at the unshakable resolve in his eyes, a complex storm of emotions warring in her chest.
She stopped trying to dissuade him, burying her feelings beneath a facade of absolute determination.
“Alright. I will minimize every single risk.
I’ll synchronize the treatment with acupuncture to clear your pathways and help you heal.
But I have to warn you one last time-if we go down this road to the end, you and I are in the same boat. We alone bear the consequences of whatever happens p>
Silas gave a slight nod, his eyes utterly sincere. “I know p>
The lab lights remained glaringly bright, but the fleeting sense of relief was gone.
The joy of their initial victory faded.
Everyone understood that the true, agonizing battle was only just beginning.
The antidote could save a life, but it could also destroy one.
The path ahead was their only hope, but it was also a treacherous abyss.